Affects of Electricity on the Plasticity of Gaseous Nitric Oxide

Vaishnavi Rao

In high school, I endeavored to participate in the Brain Bee competitions, the equivalent of the Scripps National Spelling Bee or National Geography Bee, except on neuroscience trivia. Here, I became exposed to the fascinating aspects of the nervous system, especially its striking adaptive capabilities called plasticity. Having read about extraordinary cases in which patients afflicted with neurological disorders managed to survive with minimum personality change or psychological impact, I wondered how far the brain’s resiliency can extend, and more importantly, if it could be harnessed to treat neurological disorders in the future. I reached out to Dr. Nick Spitzer at the University of California, San Diego, who was investigating the plasticity of the brain’s chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. As the first high school student in his lab, I began to study the plasticity of a gaseous transmitter, nitric oxide, induced by alterations in electrical activity. I faced many challenges as I mastered intricate brain microdissections, sliced fine sections of embryonic brains, and operated complex machinery. Research absorbed my time and energy - there were even times when I dreamed about the embryonic tadpoles that I interacted with in the lab!